THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the Kerala Assembly that fraudsters in the CSR scam collected a total of Rs 281 crore from nearly 50,000 people with the promise of offering scooters at 'half price'.
Additionally, they collected Rs 23 crore from 56,082 individuals with the promise of providing sewing machines and Rs 9 crore with the offer of providing laptops at 'half price'.
To date, the police have registered 1,343 cases related to the 'half price' scam, and 665 of these cases will be handed over to the Crime Branch, the Chief Minister said in response to a question raised by CPM MLA Murali Perunelly.
The investigation is being overseen by the ADGP of the Crime Branch and led by a special team headed by the Crime Branch SP in Ernakulam.
So far, six people have been arrested in connection with the scam: Anandhu Krishnan, Ravi Pannakal, Basheer PP, Riyas, Mohanned Shaji, and KN Ananda Kumar.
However, the Chief Minister refrained from naming any politicians involved, citing the ongoing investigation.
In response to questions from opposition MLAs about whether the Special Branch or Intelligence could have provided early warnings regarding such a large-scale scam, Pinarayi explained that the police have certain limitations in addressing such activities.
He urged the public to remain vigilant against anyone offering unrealistic deals. "It seems we are allowing ourselves to be conned," he remarked.
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan echoed the Chief Minister’s concerns, pointing out that Keralites, often considered the most astute, are frequently the easiest to deceive. "People are willing to invest even when the returns promised are clearly unrealistic," he added.
The fraudsters behind the ‘Half Price’ scam used CSR funds to promise scooters, laptops, and sewing machines at discounted rates.
They even appointed promoters and offered incentives to encourage public participation.
To build trust, they delivered scooters to 16,438 out of 49,386 applicants, laptops to 29,897 out of 36,891 applicants, and sewing machines to 53,478 people out of 56,082 applicants.
The police have also frozen 23 bank accounts linked to the accused and have initiated legal proceedings to seize their properties.